Sunday, December 22, 2019

Advent Day 22: Jonah and Advent

Image by Gerd Altmann, from Pixabay

I remember playing tag as a child.  On summer nights, at community or church gatherings, we children would burst out of the adult conclave and run with the fireflies.  How wonderful it felt to be chased, joyful screams of laughter bursting out of us when caught!


If you ever went to church as a child, you most likely heard the story of "Jonah and the Whale". You may have even worked on a coloring page about it, as this is a mainstay of children's Sunday School. On the face of things, it seems like just one more fantastical tale.  However, I believe it was chosen for inclusion in the Old Testament (Jonah 1:1 - 3:5) for the purpose of teaching us rich lessons.
Here are facts:

1.  Nineveh was a huge, rich, wicked city, the capital of the barbaric Assyrian Empire.  (Think Las Vegas, for example.)
2.  God instructed Jonah to go preach to Nineveh's inhabitants a message of repentance:  "Repent or be destroyed".
3.  Jonah refused to obey God.  Didn't like the message; wanted none of it...
4.  Jonah ran from God in an effort to escape this assignment.
5.  God chased Jonah, using a mighty storm and a huge fish for his purposes.
6.  Jonah (many believe) died in the belly of the whale.  Regardless, he was there for 3 days and 3 nights.
7.  The fish, heartily sick to its stomach, spewed Jonah out onto the seashore, alive.
8.  God re-issued the assignment to Jonah.
9.  Jonah obeyed.
10.  Nineveh repented.

That is not the end of Jonah's story, but we'll stop with the above facts for today's post.
Now, so what?  What does this have to do with Advent, after all?

Jonah was a real man, but he represents so much more!  I find myself resembling him way too much for my own liking.  Have you ever said, "No!" to God?  I have, on many occasions.  Essentially, any time we choose to act out, we are saying, "no" to God.  There are reasons we do this.  I don't need to list them here, because you know them.  Just like me, you've thought them ... or done them.

Imagine you are able to go back in time to Bethlehem and have the privilege of approaching the stable to kneel at the manger.  Can you picture it?  Can you see yourself?  What are you wearing? Are your clothes spotless?  Is your body clean?  Do you smell good?  At Advent, this is something we do: in our hearts, we approach the Manger, to worship the King.  And, this is good and right.  Many times, though, as we come to worship, we have manure on our shoes, and our pits stink.  There are food droppings on our chest from where we've been careless in our eating.  Our hair is tangled or our beards are nasty. There is crud under our nails.

The latter is a picture of our sin, our personal running from God.  It dirties us up so that, when we approach His presence, we are soiled, stained, ruined, in need of salvation, in desperate need of grace.

Ann Voskamp points out that repentance "is the only way to be ushered into grace."

Repentance means literally "to turn around and go in the opposite direction".  In Jonah's case, it meant to cease from running from God, then turning around and going toward Nineveh.  In our situations, it means to come to a full stop, turn around and move toward the God who chases, seeking His will in our lives, even when (like Nineveh) it is a place our carnal human souls do not wish to go.  When we move toward Him, our hands cannot bring our beloved sins with us. No, in our turning, we must lay them down and leave them behind.  Only cleansed, covered by His grace can we truly bow at His feet in worship.

Jonah not only represents us.  He also pre-figures, foreshadows Christ.  We read Jesus' own words in Matthew 12:40 - - 
"For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish (Greek: κήτους ) three days and three nights,
so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights."

It is because of these words of the Lord that many Bible scholars believe that Jonah drowned before being swallowed up by the great fish, and that after being dead for 3 days, God resurrected him.  I will not debate this point; I merely offer it for your consideration.

Whether at Advent or not, we often find ourselves drowning in life's stormy waters.  We cry out, "I can't handle this!"  So true.  We can't.  But God can.  No storm of life can submerge me beyond where His goodness, mercy and grace can resurrect me!

I am so glad that God chased after Jonah.  I am so glad He passionately chases after you and me.  He does so ... not only that we may carry out His perfect plans, but to rescue us, to wash and restore us, to resurrect and bring us out onto dry land.

It's right there in Psalm 23:6 (The Message) - -

Your beauty and love chase after me, every day of my life.

False gods expect us to perform, to measure up.  Our God comes down to us, in the form of a Baby, and He chases and chases and chases us.  The Hebrew word for "chase" in verse 6 is "radaph", which means "to pursue", "to hunt down".  My God, the Lover of My Soul, never gives up on me.  He chases me to repentance, pursues me with His love and grace.

Stop pursuing your image of "a better life".  Recognize that the Author of Abundant Life is pursuing you.  Stop running.  Allow yourself to be caught today.

If you have time, you will be so blessed by watching this adaptation of Francis Thompson's classic poem, "The Hound of Heaven".

Here is a link to the poem:
http://www.bartleby.com/236/239.html

And here is the wonderful video adaptation:
https://vimeo.com/89705938


Additional Sources:

Voskamp, Ann. The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/08/when-you-are-finding-it-hard-to-keep-up-chased-by-grace/

Friday, December 20, 2019

Advent Day 20: A Poop Lesson



I love my dog.  I really do.  But, there are times....

Last night, I took Charlie out for his final potty trip of the day.  It was dark, and I did not have the foresight (pun intended) to bring a flashlight with me.  We wandered around to his usual spots beside the road, where he "did his business".  On the way back down the driveway, he veered off.   I rightly assumed he had more "business" to conduct. 

However...as I held to my end of the leash and stepped with him into the woods on the outskirts of our property, I felt my boot mire up into something suspiciously mushy.  I could not see what it was, of course; but, I strongly suspected.

Sure enough, when I got back into the light, the mysterious material was revealed.  Yep, it was animal poop.  Needless to say, I was less than thrilled.

What is the point of my relating that sordid tale?  And, in an Advent post, no less?

At Advent, we remember the importance of light. 

There is so much spiritual darkness today, seemingly increasing by leaps and bounds.  Lost people are stumbling and falling at every turn.  At Advent, we light candles to symbolize the Light of the World condescending to us.  Without Him, regardless of our boastful pronouncements to the contrary, we are merely stumbling around in the woods, lost, walking in circles, stepping in poop, because we can't see where we are headed.

Last night, I was thinking about this and about The Law of the Old Testament.  Why?

Because The Law was given to show us our sinfulness before a holy God, who knew we would be unable to fully "keep it" in our daily lives.  Too often, we "step in the poop".  The Law was given to point people to God, to show them how needful they were (and we still are today), in desperate need of Light, the Light of the World, the Savior of the World - - Jesus.

JESUS was given to BE that Light Who Saves.  Unlike The Law, Jesus does more than shine a light on our sinfulness.  He takes care of it, paying our sin debt on our behalf. It is Messiah Jesus (Yeshuah HaMashiach) whose coming was prophesied in Isaiah 9.

2c The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
Isaiah 9:2

The Jews rightly believed this prophecy applied to them, and it does!  But, it also applies to Gentiles, "to ALL people" as the angel heralds proclaimed on the night of His birth, when light filled the sky over Bethlehem.  Isaiah prophesied that the nation of Israel would not be the only recipients of God's mercy. Even then, hope was given to the Gentiles ("goyim", in the Orthodox Jewish Bible).  Hallelujah!

And nations (Gentiles) shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 
Isaiah 60:3

Today, I am so thankful The Light of the World lives in me.  His light shines into my darkest places, exposing my sin and calling me to confession, purification, restoration.  He calls me deeper into relationship with Him, so that when I do see Him at last, He won't be a stranger.  In the clear light of that heavenly day I will recognize Him as, not only the Light of the World, but as my dearest Friend.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Advent Day 18 - A Sacred Joy


Both times I was pregnant, I was quite pregnant at Christmastime.  Our firstborn was delivered two weeks late, at the end of March.  The younger son made his appearance at the end of February.  So, although I was not as "great with child" as was Mary, I was still pretty much unable to put on my pantyhose for work, lol.  (Yes, we wore hosiery to work in those days...)

It was a special experience, being pregnant at Christmastime.
I am sorry for men, who are unable to relate.  "Male and female created He them", after all.  Being the life-carriers is a sacred joy.

And, there was no motherhood experience in the history of mankind more astounding than that of Mary.  I still remember the euphoria and wonder I felt on discovering I was pregnant, both times.  It approaches the joy I felt when I made the decision to follow Christ.

God's Holy Spirit, God Himself(!) came to live in me.  I was forever "possessed" by The Divine. . Forever sealed as His.  God with me (Immanuel!) and God IN me.
And, becoming pregnant?  A new life, a new person was growing in me!  Both times...I felt distinctly unworthy.  Still do, actually.

One of the major objections religions like Islam (and others who do not consider Jesus to be God) cite is that God could not be a human being.  But, I was reading in Hebrews yesterday morning about this very point.  The author of Hebrews knew it would be an issue and this is what he wrote:

Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death ​— ​that is, the devil — 15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. 16 For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. 17 Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 2:14-17 (CSB)

We who believe on Jesus are "the children", and this passage reminds us of the reason Jesus came to Earth, as well as why the method by which He came was SO vitally important.  If Jesus, the Son of God, the second member of the triune Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) had not been born into a human body and lived a fully-God, fully-human life, He could not have executed the plan of God for our redemption.  It was the only way.  He had to become "like his brothers and sisters in every way."
Max Lucado put it like this:  "Let him be as human as he intended to be.  For only if we let him in can he pull us out."1

Perfection, dwelling in His mother's womb, dwelling "among us".
And, what about the crazy (well, at least other-worldly and very odd) circumstances of His birth?

I remember when my first son was born.  The ride home from the hospital is particularly vivid.
If my mother had not been waiting at my home for us to arrive, I think I would have jumped out of our moving car.  I was that terrified and intimidated.  (Those who know me think I'm exaggerating here.  I assure you that I am not.) 

Now. 
What if I had been in Mary's shoes (er....sandals)?   A sacred joy?!
***Her first pregnancy (like mine was).
***The enormity of giving birth to God's Son (no pressure though, right?)
***A sudden, undesired trip, far from every female she knows.
***Donkeys as doulas, manger for crib, brilliant stars for lighting ...
The incongruity of it all is simply astounding!
Who, but God, would have or could have orchestrated a more "un-human" scene?
Certainly not how a human would have done it!

The mystery of eternal salvation is similarly great, even greater than the miracle of the Incarnation.  As the Holy Spirit came to create life in Mary's womb, He is equally desirous to place Himself into the heart of every woman and man.  This acquiescence, this belief, this submission and belief on the part of each person who accepts Christ as Savior is a reflection of the Virgin Birth.  But, salvation is an even greater miracle, even more a sacred joy!

Oh Lord!  May we exclaim as did Mary "Let it be to me according to your word!" (Luke 1:38).  May we become so very FULL of you this season that we can proclaim and rejoice in the words of the apostle Paul:  "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!" (Galatians 2:20)

Source:

Lucado, M. (2012). In the manger: 25 inspirational selections for advent. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, p. 18.

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Advent Day 15: How Great our Joy?


Tonight, we rode by our church's live nativity scene.  They were all set up on our church's vacant land, on a busy highway.  I appreciate the dedication of these saints to portray the elements of what Jesus' birth may have been like.  We had an angel, shepherds, the holy family, and even a couple of goats.  The pastor in charge of this event told me the designated donkey recently had some life-altering surgery, and was in too much pain to participate.  The billy goat tried to head-butt him yesterday morning and had therefore gotten himself "disqualified"!  Even though the addition of both of these fine specimens would have "added to" our portrayal, I doubt the animals themselves were disappointed to be left behind.
Ah! Isn't the Advent season something else?  I hope you are finding your joy as we proceed through this wonderful season.

Today, churches who share together the rites of the Advent wreaths light the pink candle on this, the third Sunday in Advent.  Why is it pink?  There is more than one traditional answer, but one of the most common is that it symbolizes joy - - joy that Jesus is almost here.

Joy is an opposite of disappointment.  Have you been disappointed in any aspect of your Advent season thus far?

Have you ever had someone grab a fleshy portion of your body and then just pinch it as hard as they can?  Once a toddler member of my family (the one who, today, runs the pie empire, lol)  bit the back of my upper arm;  I guess she just thought it looked tasty!  Surely does hurt, doesn't it?

Disappointment is similar.  It's not an all-out tragedy of epic proportions, but it hurts, sometimes for a while.

Perhaps because expectations are higher, disappointments seem to get magnified at the holidays.

  • You didn't get that part in the Christmas play.
  • Someone else was invited to a special event, "in your place".
  • You got a pink, fuzzy Snuggie as a gift.
  • Your loved ones chose to spend Christmas Eve, your family's special traditional time, with the in-laws.
None of these events are earth-shattering or life-changing.  But, they ache like a bad bruise.

At the root of disappointment is a loss of control.  Things don't turn out like we wanted them to. Surely we need to do our best, plan, be organized, be responsible.  When we do so and yet are disappointed, it is like a slap across the face.  We are once again confronted with the reminder:  our control is an illusion; only God is in control.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord.  "And my ways are far beyond anything you can imagine."
Isaiah 55:8

What is the antidote to disappointment, then?

What a lot of us do is to shove down our disappointment and pretend nothing is wrong.  That can be useful to an extent; most people don't want to see an Eeyore (the eternally downcast, ever-gloomy donkey from Winnie the Pooh).  But, it's not useful in the long run.
If we don't adjust our hearts and attitudes, disappointment can morph into restlessness, anger and bitterness.  Those are not useful at all.

What is more healing is to pour out our heart to trusted friends and to God.  Our friends can be used by God to counsel us and to give us comfort.  And, God can handle our angst.   It's okay to cry, to grieve, to rant, even, to God in prayer.

"He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust."

Ultimately, though, we need to do as the Wise Men did, as recorded in Matthew 2:11.  (By the way, Matthew is the only gospel writer who records this event, and some theologians believe it happened when Jesus was a toddler, not a newborn.  I am uncertain, having studied arguments for and against this theory.)

They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

We need to set aside our disappointment and kneel in the presence of the King, offering back to Him the gifts He has given us.

Most of our disappointments have to do with other people, don't they? Often, they center around those we love the most.  Have you ever been asked to lay at the feet of the King those you love the most?  I have, and frankly, I don't like it!  In fact, submitting my will to His is not "one of my favorite things".  My old sinful nature just rears up and resists!

Part of submitting our disappointment to Him can involve changing our focus.  Ok, so your plans have changed.  God had other plans; trust them. How can you shift your focus to serve Him in other ways.  This resplendent walk is all about glorifying Him, you know, as opposed to pleasing ourselves.  If this "unfortunate" reality has inserted itself into your Advent, as (quite honestly) it has mine, let's take the steps listed here to "turn it around" for His glory.  Ask Him to change your heart, to take away your disappointment and to show you how you can worship Him in this season, starting this day and leading all the way through to the New Year!  He will.  Remember, when we give ourselves more fully to Him, we are never ultimately, forever disappointed. 

 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.”
Romans 10:11
The Message

Friday, December 13, 2019

Advent Day 13 - Cookies for a Godly Man


Good morning!

"When morning gilds the skies, my heart awaking cries, 'May Jesus Christ be praised!' "
Those are the words from an old hymn I love. 1 When the skies begin to lighten, I automatically wake up and have to get up, because I usually can't go back to sleep.

So, here before 8:00 a.m. on this wintry morning, I have been up for a bit, am drinking my coffee and contemplating this Advent day.  We are now over halfway through the season; the "big day" approaches like a speeding train.  There are still things to do, people to bless.

Today is one such day.  Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie recipe?  I do.  It is a shortbread cookie, with a small dollop (can a dollop, by definition, BE small?!) of berry jam in the center, and then drizzled with an almond sugar glaze.  They are "divine"!  They are also a "pain" to make, which is why I only make them in December.

My hubster has been richly blessed with a sweet mentor of over 50 years, Tom.  Tom and his wife, Mary, live about an hour from us.  That precious man LOVES my Christmas cookies, and his wife loves my (equally renowned) chocolate fudge.   So, guess what I am going to be doing this morning?
Making cookies and fudge!  Then, this afternoon, we are planning to take them to them, sharing Advent joy!  They are so old...every year I fear will be our last to bless them in this way...

This morning, I was reading in my usual morning Bible time the books of Ephesians and Titus.  Paul wrote his letter to his younger protege and "church builder", Titus, after being released from his lengthy imprisonment in Rome, near the end of his ministry.  The book deals with the qualifications of church leaders. (Titus 1:6-9, 2:1-5)  Both my husband, one of God's most precious gifts to me, and this godly man we are going to visit, are leaders in their churches.  They exemplify these qualifications.  What blessings!  You can call them elders or trustees or bishops or overseers or whatever manly term you want to use.  The actual Greek word used is "episkopon" from which we get the ecclesiastical terms "episcopal" and "episcopalian".  Titus 2 also gives admonitions to the elder women in the church, as to how they should teach and lead the younger women.  (I wrote a blog post a while back about the qualifications of church leaders.  You can read it here, if you are so inclined:  https://resplendentdaughter.blogspot.com/2018/04/blameless.html )

On the other end of the spiritual and emotional scale, I am thinking this morning of those who are facing this season without their most beloveds.  At the nursing home we visited with Santa the other night, one elderly lady broke down in tears as she told us of the recent loss of her husband.  Another person who lives there, a man, told a similar story of the recent loss of his wife.  One of our favorite members of that community died last month.  Earlier this week, we drove to a distant town to pay our respects and comfort a friend who suddenly lost her husband of 50 years.  She was obviously in total shock over it.  All of that grief can come crashing down onto a person at this "joyous" time of year.  So, if you know of anyone in those circumstances, as do I, please lift them up in prayer.  And, reach out to them with love.  They desperately need to feel a loving, human touch.  And, maybe some cookies.

Well, my butter has been softening over there in the kitchen.  I'd better "get to it".
Have a blessed Day 13, Saints!
"Peace be to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 6:23-24

Source:

1    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKkTB617sDU
Lyrics and choral performance of "When Morning Gilds the Skies"

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Advent Day 10



It is 11:16 p.m., and I am wondering if I prepared my heart for Christmas today.

As I age, I much more frequently analyze how I use my time, wondering whether or not I used it wisely.  This is the Advent season, when we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Baby Jesus, Who is also to me my Savior.
During Advent, some days get remarkably lopsided.

For instance ...
Yesterday, I worked at the pie shop from 9:00 to 5:00, sitting down once for maybe 2 minutes, skipping lunch, etc. Then, I went home and cooked dinner (swiftly!) and left for my church's monthly women's bible study, at the home of our pastor and his wife.
Then, I went home to find my darling husband had cleaned up the kitchen and stuffed the Christmas cards into their envelopes.
I did not read my Bible, pray much or blog.  I concentrated on "surviving".

This morning, I got up and had a leisurely three hours, recuperating from the harem-scarem of the day before.  Then, I caught up on the past couple of days of Bible reading, wrote in my prayer journal (and prayed, obviously), made cinnamon rolls for a late breakfast and began addressing our approx. 150 Christmas cards.  In the necessary breaks between, I wished the dog a happy 9th birthday, fixed hubby some lunch, tidied up the house a little, wrote a graduation advice piece for a family friend, texted friends, etc.
Around 5:00 we left to go to a church outreach.  Every couple of months, our bible study group of 8 couples does an outreach at a local assisted living facility.  We go and play piano and sing with the residents as they are finishing up dinner.  Usually, we take each of them a little goodie bag.  Tonight, we brought Santa Claus with us, sang Christmas songs, passed out goodie bags and read the Christmas story, as well as a Christmas poem one of our group wrote.  After that, all 6 of us went and grabbed a bite to eat, with our friends.  (Several of our group were either not well or were traveling.)
Arriving home, we celebrated with our son, who had fixed the dog a nice birthday dinner and fed it to him.  Highly entertaining but sad, as our dog is critically ill and does not have any birthdays left.

So, after all that, I realized a few minutes ago I had not written an Advent blog post today and I felt the old, familiar guilt-laden question - - "did you really use your time well to serve your Savior today?"
(I almost never feel like I do, by the way.  Do you?)

What does it mean to "prepare your heart for Christmas, anyway?"
Does it mean to "do Christmasy things"?

The Bible passage in the "read through the Bible chronologically" program I'm following landed me in Philippians today.  Chapter 3, verse 10 sums up what it means to get ready for Christmas, because it means the same thing as getting ready to see Jesus - - whether via physical death, via His Second Coming, via looking with your soul into that ordinary manger.

"My goal is to know Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings
being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead."
Philippians 3:10 (CSB)

That last phrase is rather puzzling unless you remember that Paul believed Jesus' return was imminent.  However, as he headed toward the end of his life, he began to assume he would not be alive when Jesus returned, but that he would die and experience the resurrection at His coming, instead.  However, I digress.

The key point is that knowing Christ is the goal, not just during the Advent season, but always, in every way, at all times, on all days.  It is the "crux of the matter", a careful choice of words.  Our English word "crux" means "the essence of", or "the heart of" or "the most basic part of", and it comes from the same root as the word "crucifixion".  Both have overtones of the Cross.

Knowing Him comes from studying His ways, reading His Word, praying/conversing with Him during our mundane (and not so mundane) days.  BUT, our knowing of Him is deepened when we also know Him by fellowshipping with Him in suffering, when we die to ourselves daily, when we "crucify our flesh" in spiritual battle with our sinful natures, daily.  In this way, our bodies are "conformed to His death", and our spirits follow suit in obedience to Christ.

When we know Him, we are prepared for anything - - life, death and everything in between (including Christmas).

So, this is not a very inspiring Advent post, I reckon.  It's not warm or fuzzy or cuddly or sexy (if I can use that word in a Christian blog).  It is reflective of real life, though, and perhaps that is real or inspiring enough.

Go re-read Philippians.  What an amazing book!  What a gift God gave us!
Goodnight, and God bless.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Advent Day 8 - Christmas Music


Today is the second Sunday of Advent, for all you liturgical types.  The second candle will be lit by a family, gathered around the altar and the Advent wreath, in the Methodist Church, for example.  The second candle is known by many as "Bethlehem's Candle".  Micah was the Old Testament prophet who prophesied that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel, whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
Micah 5:2 (BSB)

As I sit here in the early Sunday morning, sipping coffee, I am thinking about what a delight it is to go to service in a little while and to experience the annual Christmas musical play, put on by our children, guided by our dedicated cadre of children's workers.

Before going into school administration, I was a music teacher in the public schools.  For some of those years, I was also a part-time minister of music in a Presbyterian church.  I wish I knew how many Christmas programs I have planned and carried out over the years.  Probably somewhere between 100 and 200.  I was told yesterday's "dress rehearsal" of the children's musical did not go as planned.  There were problems with building access, with the sound system, etc.  Having heard that, I could surely relate.  Rarely, in my history, did a dress rehearsal inspire confidence into my heart, as the director, lol.  But, you know, somehow all of them went off beautifully, and God got the glory, as it should be.

Exactly two years ago, today, I was on sort of a December holiday in Blairsville, with a girlfriend.  We got snowed in up there by a huge, unexpected bounty of beautiful, frigid whiteness.  It was glorious!  The unexpected and unwelcome part of it was that I had to forfeit on Sunday afternoon going to my beloved Christmas concert by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.  Just could not get there because of the roads. Broke my heart!

But, Lord willing, today, I'll be blessed by hearing the children sing of Jesus' birth, and then will go on to the downtown ATL and hear that annual concert that just "makes" Christmas for me every year.  Any year I have to miss it saddens my soul.  It's just that good.  (My beloved Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus will celebrate its 50th birthday, in the 2020-21 season.  What a blessing!)

Another fave Christmas musical experience is an annual "Messiah" sing-along we have in our local area.  There is a chamber music vocal group that leads this at a large Methodist church every year.  Hundreds of "regular folk" like me bring along their copy of Handel's "Messiah" and sing along to the choruses, led by the man who leads the chamber group.  Solos are sung by the group members, and enjoyed by us in the pews/chorus.

Do you have a favorite musical experience at Christmas time?  How does it help you grow closer to God, as you await Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?  If so, comment on this blog post!  I'd love to hear about it!
I pray you will let the glorious music of Christmas permeate and feed your soul this Advent season.
Hallelujah!

*ASO Chorus rehearsing the "Hallelujah Chorus" for their Handel's "Messiah" concert, in Symphony Hall
https://youtu.be/-eungxpmZ2Q




Friday, December 6, 2019

Advent Day 6 - Advent Misfits



Is not this glass sculpture glorious?!  It sits regally in the lobby of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Cascades entrance.  How would it fit in, in your home's powder room, however?  If yours is anything like mine, it would not fit in at all!  It would be a "misfit"!

This past weekend, I was privileged to spend time with my mother and cousins in Nashville, just enjoying the sights and shows of the Advent season.  One of the things we did was to attend a musical play version of the decades-old TV classic, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", at the Grand Ole Opry House.  Here we are!



The overarching theme of the story is that even those who seem like weirdos or "misfits" are valuable and have an important part to play in this thing called Life.

In the story, Rudolph, Hermey (the elf who wanted to be a dentist) and the misfit toys fell into this sad category.  All felt that the Christmas season left them behind - - that they did not "belong".  Here are Hermey, Yukon Cornelius and Rudolph, adrift on an iceberg in the frigid Artic waters.  (Ever feel "unmoored" like that?)



You may be like the normal "Christmas Elf" in that this season is "holly, jolly" for you, all the way.



But, most of us are not like that 100% of the time.

At some point during the season, we encounter life challenges that fail to "make our spirits bright".
Yesterday at work was one such time for me.  I did not have a great day at work.  It was not my best showing, I'm sorry to say.  And, I was talking with another employee, whose mother had an incapacitating stroke recently.  Ho, ho, ho - - not.  Made my work aggravations seem minor, by comparison.

A huge part of "misfitness" comes from feeling "forgotten".  That's how the toys on the Island of Misfit Toys felt - - that Santa had forgotten them.  We must not let our loved ones believe that lie of the enemy - - that we, their friends and family, or (worse) that God has forgotten them.

So, how to regain our joy during this season, when we start to feel like an Advent Misfit (or encounter someone who feels like one)?

It is important during this season to listen to each other, when we need to "spill" and just "be heard".
Take the time to put your arm around your friend and give them a hug.  Pray for and pray with them.
All the jingle, jangle can jangle one's nerves when the sleigh has rushed by and knocked you into the ditch.

Often, friends just feel overwhelmed at various times in this season.  (Have I mentioned that I have not bought but two gifts yet, and both of those are cheapo "white elephant" items?!) . Offer to help them hang the garland or decide on the gifts or choose the picture for the family card....

Take your friend an unexpected treat - - something you think will make them laugh or bring them a little joy.  It does not have to be big.  Just show your generous heart.  Spread the light of Christ by slowing down to show His love.  Do that for someone today! 

Romans 12:10a (HCSB)
"Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters."







Thursday, December 5, 2019

Advent Day 5 - Be With the One You Love


I saw a Facebook post this morning from Carissa, whose son is in the Navy.  She and her husband just arrived in a far-away city, in order to spend some sweet time with him.  In another, I saw that my older son's girlfriend had given him an early Christmas present: a trip to see a vocal band in the ATL last night.  These posts reminded me of the truth humans try to live out every day: 

We love to be with the ones we love.

Isn't that particularly true at Christmas?  All the shopping and gift-buying - - well most of it - - is done so that we can be with those we love and give the gifts to them, share the gift of our lives with them.

This is the "why" of Christmas, the "sod" (Hebrew סוֹד , for "deepest meaning") of the Christmas story.

So that God could eternally be with the ones He loved, He sent the One He most loved ... to reconcile us hopeless sinners to Himself.
(2 Corinthians 5:19)
This was the perfect love of God, manifested in that He "did not even spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all."  (Romans 8:32)
There was no other way for us to have a relationship with God.  And, since God loved us that much, He made the ultimate sacrifice, in the Person of His Son.
#BornToDie

This is the selfless love of Christmas.  May we embrace and exemplify it as we journey on through this season of Advent, toward the birthday of the King.


 

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Faith As a Little Child - OCC 2019


{UPDATE: the pics above are from our excursion to the OCC warehouse today, 12/4/19.}

At the moment I am a passenger in a car, driven by my cousin, as we return from a trip to the mountains with our moms.  We are hurrying back to my hometown, because I am supposed to hook up with our discipleship team from church for a field trip this afternoon.  Judging by our current rate of speed, I may miss the lunch gathering.


For the past two years, our little group, plus 3-4 other church friends, has gone to the regional warehouse space, rented by Samaritan’s Purse, to process Operation Christmas Child (OCC) shoeboxes.  This is where all the shoeboxes Christians pack each fall go, after they are turned in at their local churches.  Our small congregation that averages 180-205 each Sunday packed over 500 boxes this season.  We give all the glory to God for that.

Upon arrival, each group is verified, oriented and then assigned to a work table/area.
One of the first tasks is to inspect each box for monetary donations.  I like to pay my $9 shipping online, so that I can track where my shoeboxes end up.  (Last year, it was Nambia, Africa.). But, many folks just put their check into an envelope and tuck it inside their box.

The next thing that happens is that each box is checked for ‘contraband”.  The most common items  found are liquids and toothpaste, neither of which is admissible.  We place all those disallowed items in a bucket, and Samaritan’s Purse donates them to a local men’s or women’s shelter.  Boxes are also checked to make sure they contain no “war toys”, as many of these children have been traumatized by either tribal or national warfare.

Then, we sometimes find that some of the shoeboxes are “skimpy”.  People do the best they can, with their available resources.  It can get expensive packing a shoe box.  I know one lady who got away with spending only $15 per box, plus shipping.  But, I’d say that was a result of strategically smart shopping.  It’s not unusual to spend $30 per box.  Members of our discipleship team start their bargain-hunting for next year’s boxes as soon (or before) they turn in this year’s!  They are super-sleuths for all kinds of bargains!
At any rate, I digress.  Samaritan’s Purse purchases little toys that workers can use to enhance skimpy boxes, to “plump them up” a bit.

Next, each box goes to “the taper”, that is, the teammate who rolls a large roll of tape over the box, to make certain the box is securely closed.  The box is then handed to a crate-packer, depending on whether or not it is a “tracked” box (those who paid online and wanted to track their box) or an untracked box.  The tracked boxes are scanned with a hand scanner, and then all the boxes are packed into large cardboard crates, by age group and by sex.

Our group worked a four-hour shift last year and is scheduled for the same this year.  It is rigorous work, especially for older folks.

Why do we do this?  Why pack these boxes?  Why do we pray over our boxes, asking God to be sure each one winds up in the hands of the child for whom He intends it?  I heard tell of a friend of a friend who said, “Well, the poor will be with you always.  So, why go to all this trouble?”

With all our wealth and abundance in America, it is easy to forget that there are children across the world who have never received even one gift, Christmas gift or otherwise.  That thought alone is staggering.
But, more importantly, with every shoe box, a children’s book in the child’s own native language is given. This book, called “The Greatest Journey”, presents the gospel message. Along with the gifts from across the world comes the story of the Greatest Gift, from out-of-this-world!  Samaritan’s Purse follows up with children who make a decision to follow Jesus Christ, in response to the OCC invitation. When each child completes the follow-up program, he or she is given a New Testament in the native language.

Operation Christmas Child has been conducted by Samaritan’s Purse for over 25 years, and last year, 2018, over 8.8 million shoe boxes were distributed.  This year over 10 million have been collected thus far!

What a wonderful way to share the gospel during this Advent season!  Yes, Jesus said that the poor would always be among us, but when His children finally see Him face-to-face, I expect He will want to know if and how we shared the Good News with them.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Storytime



I loved elementary school, but my favorite part of the day was not recess.
Some of the kids were mean;
I was always the youngest among my peers, and not very aggressive;
I did not live in their community, but instead in one outside the school's attendance area;
I've never been athletic....etc.

My favorite part of the day was not lunch.
There were no "lunch choices" in those days.  You walked down the line and the cafeteria ladies filled your green plastic tray with "entree du jour".  You either ate it, or you didn't.  Most of the time there were assigned seats and you had to be relatively quiet as you ate.

No, my favorite part of the day was storytime - - that lovely 15 minutes when the teacher read aloud to the class from some children's classic novel, transporting us into a (usually) imaginary world which provided an escape from reality and especially from the bane of my existence: math.

Why is "story" so powerful?

I'm not a huge Disney fan at present, mainly because I am oppositional to their company values.  But, Disney became the megalith that it is because Disney knows the power of imagination and of stories.  Think of your favorite Disney film.  At the base of it is a wonderful story, with heroes/heroines, villains, good vs. evil, plot twists and, usually, a happy ending.  Alan Key, once a VP at Disney said this:  "Why was Solomon recognized as the wisest man in the world?  Because he knew more stories than anyone else."
I don't know if that is strictly true.  God gave Solomon his wisdom, because Solomon asked.  But, I imagine Solomon was aware of stories' power.

Stories are the most powerful form of human communication.  Our Father is the grandest storyteller of us all.
Of course, it could be argued that God is the grandest anything-and-everything, and that would be true.
But, God created us in His image, giving us spoken language, oral and written history, gifts no other beings on earth possess.  "History, someone said, is His-story", after all.

His best words, His greatest stories are told in the Bible and celebrated throughout the calendar year; but, the two greatest in Christendom are told at Easter and at Advent.

He is constantly writing a story He already knows.  Each person, created in His image, is also writing his or her own story, as we interact with Him throughout our lives.  Even the professed atheist does this, although most of those interactions are rejections of the Author of Life.  God starts the story, but your choices determine the ending.

What is your story?  How will it be changed, for better or worse, as you enter this Advent season?
Regardless of your age, if you still breathe in and out, your story is ongoing.  Will you write it to intersect with Him this Advent?

Monday, December 2, 2019

Knock, Knock!

"Knock, knock!"
"Who's there?"
"Jesus."
"Jesus who?"
"Jesus who wants to enter your heart and give you the gift of Himself, the gift that overflows with everlasting life."

Ok, you think the girl has lost it, don't you?  What in the world...??
Well, Revelation 3:20 records these words of Jesus,

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Notice that Jesus does not beat down the door.  He does not come crashing into our lives uninvited.  This is true at Advent, as well as at other times in our lives.  He knocks, asks, invites, but it is up to each person to open the door.

You are an author, because He is The Author. Because He is what Max Lucado calls "the truest Judge"1, He gives you choices, even though He knows what you will ultimately choose.

Love is not manipulation or coercion.  Love must involve the choice to love, or it is not love.

Now, consider this.  Before you were conceived in your mother's womb, your story began.   Is not that amazing?!

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV)

Wait a minute though....where was Jeremiah's choice in that scenario - - to become a prophet?  Sounds contradictory, doesn't it?  Yet, it's not.  It's just part of The Story.

Can you imagine knowing what will happen, before it happens?  Unless God gives us a prophecy, we can't know a future apart from what is described in the Bible.  I think it would be a terrible burden, to foreknow.

There's this ancestry DNA test/kit you can order.  If you spit into a tube, you can send your spit off and have it analyzed, in order to find out if you have genetic markers for dreadful diseases.  Who wants to know that?!  I am old; so, the end is relatively near for me anyway.  How about the 20 year-old, though, who finds out she has the gene for Alzheimer's?  She "knows" she will get the disease at some point, just not sure when.  Frankly, I don't want to know.

God, however, knows it all.  He wrote it all before He created Time.  As bad as it would be to find out as a 30-year old you will eventually die from Huntington's Disease, can you imagine the burden He felt knowing He would choose to pour Himself into flesh and write the Jesus story, live Jesus' life ... die Jesus' horrific death?

Yet, God knew....and He wrote it anyway.

Like other humans, even the God-Man, Jesus, had choices.  Witness His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before He entered the excruciating events at the end of Passion Week.  

"Father, if it be Thy will, let this cup pass from me....."
And then He chose:
"Yet, not My Will, but Thy will be done."

Every Advent we are confronted by an invitation - - to worship the One who chose to give Himself for us, or to go on our "merry way" through this season, focusing our attentions on lesser matters.

"Knock, knock"!  Jesus wants to speak to us during this season leading up to the commemoration of His birth.  Will we make room?  Will we open the door?  Will we let Him in?